Jaw-trap.



G. W. STEPHENS.

` JAW TRAP. APPLlCATlON FILED' MAY 15| l9l8 Patented Sept. 24, 1918.

siren Stearns PATENT ormoni,

GLENDON W". STEPHENS, OF RUMFORD, MAINE. y

` JAW-TRAP.

To all' whom it may concern.'

Be it known that I, GLENDON WV. STE- PHENS, a citizen of the United States, residing at Rumford, -in the county of Oxford, State of Maine, have invented'certain new and useful li'nprovements in .law-Traps; and l do hereby declare the following to be a full. clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it. appertains to make and use the same.

rlhe present invention relates to new and useful improvements in animal trapsl` more particularly of that type including a paii of pivotally connected jaws adapted to be held apart against the influence of a closing spring by a trigger controlled member.

It is in general the object of the present invention to simplify and otherwise improve the structure and to increase the efficiency of traps of this character, and the ease with which. said traps may be manipulated.

i more detailed and important object resides in the provision. of an improved spring means for springing the jaws together, which is housed entirely within the confines of the jaws. g l .A further object resides in the provision of a trigger arrangement for the trap avoiding the possibility of inoperativeness due to accumulations of snow or ice thereon.

lith the above and other objects and advantages in view, the invention resides more particularly in the novelcombination, formation and arrangement of parts hereinafter described and particularly pointed out. in the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawings:

Figure 1 is a plan view of the trap in setting position.

Fig. Q is a vertical sectional view therethrough on a plane including the. pivoted shaft of the jaws.

Fig. 3 is a transverse sectional view on the line of Fig. 1, the sprung position of the jaws being indicated in dotted lines.

Fig. 4 is a detail view showing an ordinary bait pan trigger associated with the present trap.

Referring now more particularly to the accompanying drawings, there is provided an elongated base plate 5 having its end portions upwardly directed to form bearing ears G for a pivot shaft 7 on which, adjacent its ends, are pivotally mounted the ends of a pair of U-slaped jaws 8, saidjaw ends Serial No. 234,676.

being laterally offset whereby when thejaws are swung together they .may life in parallel relation to afford a and the bight portions of the-jaws are preferably toothed as at l). The shaft 7 and base platen are mutually braced at their central portions by a connecting plate 10. It is noted that each pair of adjacent ends of the jaw legs is mounted in'nnediately inwardly of the bearing ears (3, and for springing said jaws together coil springs 11 are mounted on the shaft.. each having its outer end' eX- tended and hooked at 12 under the adjacent legs of its other jaw, and having its other end extended at 13 and seating in a notch 1l forming the side of the base plate F or holding the jaws in said position, a

Specification of Letters lPatent.' Patentgd Sept, 24:, 1918, l

Application inea may 15, 191s.

)ro )er Uri J in(r action y o o u lever 14e is provided comprising, in the present instance, a single length of wire bent in substantially rectangular shapeA and having its ends engaged in lugs 15 bent outwardly from the side edge portions ofonel of' the bearing ears G. The frame thus pro'-v vided #is engageable by the bill of' an upturned hook 16 formed on one end of a bar 17 pivoted at said end to a. lug 18 upstanding from the base plate, and extending longitudinally of the base plate and having its other ends engageable selectively Ain one of a series of notches 19 formed in a trigger bar 20 connected with the` central portion of the base plate by a swivel bolt 21 having.

by it may be set. to require differing degreesl of force for its displacement. A ba'it hook 22 is formed at the upper end of the trigger bar.

Thus in operation, movement ofthe trigbar by an animal endeavor-infr to procure the bait thereof would release the bar 17 and consequently the jaw holding lever 14, pern'iitting said jaws to snap together. An exceedingly simple, efficient and readily manipulated device. has thus been provided, wherein the danger of inoperativeness due to freezing of various trigger'portions to each other or to the body plate, is prevented, since the trigger bar which projects directly upward is afforded sufficient leverage to break from any freezing Contact which might occur at its base, and since a spring upward pressure is exerted upon the bar 17 and lever frame let upon release of the former from the trigger bar, 4which would break any freezing connection whieh might occur, except under the most severe conditions. v

It will however be noted that an ordinary pan trigger may besubstituted for the upstanding trigger' bar 20, and in the modilcation ot` Fig. 4, the outer side of the lever` displacement. pf the shaft, the other end of the shat'tbeing preferably provided with a Cotter pin 29,

What is claimed is:

vl. A trap including a base plate, a shaft jo'urnaled on the base plate, a pair ot' substantially U-shaped jaws having their ends pivo'tally mounted on the shaft, a lever pivoted to the base plate and eXtensible.

across the jaws, trigger means for holding the lever across vthe Jaws, coil springs mounted on the shaft and one end of each tions, a Ppair of Ueshaped jaws having their ends pivotally mounted on the shaft, coil Springs mounted on the shaft and each hav- 111g one end engageable with the base plate and its other end engageable with one of the Jaws and trigger controlled means for holding the jaws against the action of the springs.

3. A trap includingI a base plate, jaws pivotally eonneeted with the base, plateJ resilient means urging said .jaws together, a lever -pivotally connected with the base plate outwardly of the .jaws and extensible across one ot' the j aws, a bar pivoted to the base plate and having a hook portion. at one end engageable with said lever, and an upstanding trigger liar loosely mounted on the base plate and provided with a notch in one side for receiving the other end of the bar. v

In testimony whereef, l affix myvsignature, in the presence ot two witnesses.

GLENDON lV. STEPHENS.

lVitnesses t RALPH T. PARKER, EUNICE L. LYroRo. 

